The day of reckoning

I just found this out!

Yes, I shall take some time off from work and go someplace good to view it. A solar eclipse visible in your own country on your own birthday is not something to come by every day.

Hmm.. maybe some latent magical powers shall surface. LOL

I have been reading The Strain by Guillermo del Toro. So don't blame me for having strange thoughts about solar eclipses.

Grey's Anatomy Season 5 Finale...

Was one of the best ever. The emotionally charged two hours episode certainly gave us, fans a big surprise. George as the John Doe badly crushed by a bus? I didn't see that one coming. The scene where Meredith discovers his identity was the saddest moment in the whole episode. And when Izzie met George in the elevator? It gave me goosebumps.

You must listen to this!

It's pretty much stuff like this that makes you wish you have the talent to make music too!

French Film Festival at GSC

GSC is having a French Film Festival between 7 - 17 May. I for one, am hell of a lot excited about it. There are six French films that will be screened and I hope I can catch all of them.

They screened Crime Is Our Business (Le Crime Est Notre Affaire) the other day for the press and I enjoyed it immensely. It's a mystery film with a comedic touch to it and it's based loosely on an Agatha Christie's book, 4.50 from Paddington. An english movie has been made before of the same book but this film is supposed to a French version.

It was funny and the acting was very good. Just a right touch of humour without really making it all seem silly. The main actress, Catherin Frot was the best. Her character in the film is just too cute with all her odd ways.

Go watch it. I recommend it.

Can't wait to watch the other films as well :)

A beautiful talent

It was good. Like all her movies, it was nothing short of a beautiful story. As a writer, I appreciated the language and the writing in the screenplay is just amazing. The day I am able to write as well as that will be the day I die a happy man.

I have one grouse however, and it is just that the love portrayed in the film is just too pure. You may call me bitter but I think to find such a love is just not real. To what extend can one connect to another by just spending a few hours or minutes each day without even saying much to each other? And to fall in love with such deep wrought feelings?

Anyway, Jaclyn Victor was in the film too. Being her debut in acting, I think she did a wonderful job. Yes, I am bias - she will always be a favourite of mine and I'm a little disappointed because she didn't actually sing in the movie. I would love to hear her sing in it.

On another note, I interviewed Yasmin Ahmad recently for my magazine and she proved to be a surprise. That's all I am going to say (some of you I have confided in should know) and my conclusion would be that she's a woman to be reckoned with.

I think her movies themselves speak volumes.

My first F1 experience

Ok, this is rather late but I have been swamped with work lately and this post and the few coming thereafter are all backdated.

I actually had a nice time at the Sepang F1 race, despite not being a racing fan and all. Ok, I don't know shit about racing but hey, the tickets were free. Lol. And to think my editor was grumbling because I was not excited when he managed to get me grandstand tickets.

Yeap, I was there under Johnnie Walker. Had a good time - I zoned out once the race started though and I didn't really pay attention to what's happening. I absorbed the atmosphere instead.

The rain was a bummer and the premature end to the race was a big disappointment to many.




The rain was an even bigger bummer for those who stayed on for the Jamiroquai concert. Mud! It's evil. I got as near to the stage as I could but the result? My shoes turned brown, my shorts were streaked with mud, my white t-shirt was splattered and generally I got really filthy.

However it was worth it. :)



Yea, video quality is not good. Well, you try filming in a middle of a crowd who's all grooving to the tunes. It's not easy.

Where does my time go?

Ok, there is alot and alot and alot of backdated posts that I wrote halfway and didn't complete. My time has been disappearing alot lately and I don't know where it goes.

Anyway, I was in one of the pictures in The Star today. I myself didn't realize until someone told me about it. Then quite a number of people also began smsing me about it.

Can you spot me? Lol.


Anyway, updates and backdated posts coming soon.

The Queen of England has the best gift ideas!

I read this in The Star and I couldn't stop laughing. I don't know about you all but I find it hilarious. Which part? The part at the end - the last sentence that is. It is the best punchline ever. I don't know whether it was intentional to end the article at that particular sentence but if it was intentional, then the journalist who wrote is a genius.

Get it?

LOLSSSSSSS

LONDON (AP) - Queen Elizabeth II wasn't the only one on President Barack Obama's gift list Wednesday.

He gave presents to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife, Sarah, and their two sons, too.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama presented the queen with a rare coffee table book of songs by composers Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart that Rodgers had signed in May 1952.

But word that he also had given her an iPod created plenty of buzz as it conjured up images of the British monarch all plugged up, earbuds in place, and perhaps bopping to the 40 show tunes on the portable device.

To bring the 240-plus page book to life, the iPod was loaded with dozens of classic show tunes, including several from "Camelot," which was based on the King Arthur legend, and "My Fair Lady," which was set in London.

The iPod also includes photos and video from the queen's 2007 visit to Virginia and Washington, photos from Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration and audio of his inauguration address.

Sarah Brown received a crocheted black flower brooch, accented with pearls.

Sons John and James were presented with baseball memorabilia, including a bat signed by New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, a signed presidential baseball and a collection of 10 Dr. Seuss books.

There were no gifts for the prime minister or Prince Philip, the queen's husband, per their offices.

In return the queen and the prince gave the Obamas a signed portrait of themselves.-AP

All hail racism

I got this forwarded to me through the mail.

And I'm sure many of you are aware that it is certainly not true. The news was not only reported in The Sun, I've read about it in the The Star as well. And although it was another guy that forwarded it to me, it looks like this guy was one of the first to be forwarding it.

So, I emailed him and told him to stop forwarding inaccurate emails that are very offensive. He got testy. Lol. And here's what he told me:

Excuse me pls.
I only forward emails to friends and I dont think you are one of them.
If you don't like it, just delete it.
And keep your comments to yourself. Period!

I find it funny that he can be forwarding emails that are obviously carrying his bias sentiments to so many out there and yet he tells me to keep my comments to myself.

You know what I think? And I'm generalising here, mind you. He's just another one of those Malaysians who is living in another country (New Zealand it seems) that are just suffering from a bad case of sour grapes. Just because he can't make it in this country (most probably he's a racist) and is forced to make a living somewhere else, he's now slamming Malaysia with his frustration.

If he is not even in Malaysia, how does he know what the papers are reporting (or not reporting for that matter)? I'm assuming he's capable of reading since he can operate the email. So in conclusion he's just forwarding racially offensive emails without verifying the truth?

It's not the country that is racist, it is people like him that make it so.

So the take home message is:

The next time you feel like pointing a finger at the Malays and calling them a racist, think of Mr. Philip Theseira. Think of him and remember that the people of the other races (including your own) are capable of the same thing too.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: philip theseira (harley36nz@yahoo.co.nz)
To: philip theseira
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 13:00:50
Subject: This Picture Made It To the Pages of India Times but not in our own papers!

A TRUE MALAYSIAN INDEED!

The shame of it all that we should be so proud (and are) of our own Malaysian receiving an international award like this, but the Malaysian government and press dont see it as important enough to publish it in our local dailies! It was only published by THE SUN but rather small and hidden in the inner pages. WHY???...BECAUSE SHE'S NOT A BARISAN - BN DOG/BITCH???!!!! Most Important she is not a Malay... so there's nothing to shout or to be proud of... Malaysia such a racist country! Not being fair to other race!



Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama
12 Mar 2009, 0853 hrs IST



US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama present give away Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage to Malaysia 's Ambiga Sreenevasan at the State Department in Washington , DC . (AFP)

Tiger Trap In Penang

Lim Guan Eng should leave well and well alone. Tiger park in Penang indeed. He's been behind bars before and thus he of all people should know how animals feel like when they're put in an enclosure. Shame on him!

Why the hell do you want to go create a tiger park (or even a zoo for that matter) to draw tourists when you already have a rich, diverse and highly historical background of the city to bank on? Focus on what you have, not something unnatural that will only serve to be a mockery to animals.

And everyone complains about the government. I keep seeing more and more of the same thing from the opposition too.

Leaving you with a cute vid about an OCD zoo keeper. Animals should not be forced to be what the public wants them to be.

Standing ovation for The Reader

I finally watched The Reader just now. And the verdict? It is fantastic.

The story is compelling and it gives you alot to think about. I felt drawn in as the movie progressed and I really had a feeling for the characters in it. It felt real. Kate Winslet deserved her Oscar. And the film is anyhow more deserving of an Oscar than the other film that won. You know which one.

If you watch it in the cinema though, you'll miss alot. Censorship issues. Try downloading off the net. It will definitely be worth it.

I thought Changeling was good, then I watched this.

The Reader. Powerful stuff.

I will try the book next. If I'm in the mood, I might try the original version in German.

Learning to club...

This is so cute. I was actually watching it in office. They have a better quality vid up at their website but I can't embed it. Enjoy yourself. It's hilarious!

Peter Gabriel - A justified diva

Many have accused Peter Gabriel of being a diva when he refused to perform his song, Down to Earth at the Oscars recently even though it was nominated. His reason being that they did not allocate individual performance time to the three songs on that night. I however, think it is rightly so he refused, for the medley of the three songs was a disaster.

The reasons being:

1. It was each performed in succession with no change of dancers between each songs. Come on, Indian styled dancers with a song like Down To Earth?
2. The last part of the three medleys brought together the three songs being sung together. It was a catastrophe.
3. I am not an expert or anything but I felt the dancers dancing to the Slumdog Millionaire's song was not authentic enough in terms of the Indian dance style. They looked odd.
4. John Legend that stood in replacement was a good singer and all but he couldn't sing it as well as Peter Gabriel did.
5. I think Down To Earth should have won. The other song won only because it was basking in the worked-up frenzy everyone is getting into about the movie.
6. Overall, the performance was a fiasco.

Catch Jonas Brothers in 3D in Malaysia

Yes, yes it not something you would expect me to go watch. However, because I thought the Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Movie was something different, I went to watch it yesterday when they had a press screening for it. Wasn't too bad I guess and the 3-D concert experience was rather good. I wonder whether other artists will catch on and have their own 3-D concert movies though. It could be a whole new craze in the music industry. Fans of the Jonas Brothers, you'll definitely want to watch this when it opens soon.

The talking pussies

LOL. This is so, so, so cute!

Emma Watson at the '09 BAFTAS

........ Since when did Emma Watson become a woman? And a hot one too... What spell did she use? Hermione Granger certainly doesn't fit the notion of witches being warty and hunchbacked, and all the usual shit.

You need to be a mathematician to figure this out ?

I'm sure many of you have complained about the dumbass service from local phone companies. Well take a look at this.



Looks like the US phone companies are sometimes just as bad. The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side after all.

Will Pakatan Rakyat lose Perak?

Frankly, it doesn't really affect me. However, I really hope that they do lose Perak to the BN. It's a fitting retribution for them as much as Anwar's fiasco of his empty promises of trying to topple over the government is to be taken into view. Didn't he do the exact same thing at that time? Trying to pull over BN men over to his side? Why the bitterness now PR supporters? BN using corruption and dirty tactics to win the state? What did Anwar use? Flowers? Or maybe it's because the PR doesn't have enough cash to offer? If that's that case, a failed attempt at committing a crime is still a crime after all.

I find the situation actually hilarious. If you actually go over to Lim Kit Siang's blog and read the comments their supporters are writing on the issue you'll be laughing your ass off too. Have you forgotten that Anwar tried to do the same thing as well? Or are you just turning a blind eye to that?

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Couldn't be any truer.

And I would like to reiterate: the PR and BN are just two sides of the same coin.

Change? Where?


Update: So it looks like they have lost Perak, though they are not going down without fighting. You should read this. Anwar's plan did not materialized because it failed, not because of the lack of trying. He tried, oh boy, he tried very hard. Looks like the PR got a taste of their own medicine, and they hate the taste too. We have some major case of sour grapes going on here.

Update 2: I read someone's comment on another blog regarding the whole issue and I found it terribly funny.

Just because the thief you sent (Anwar) was too stupid to pick the lock, doesn’t mean he did not try…

How true.

PETA's sexy vegetarians not suitable for TV

It does look sexually suggestive but I don't think it's anymore offensive than any other dribble that you can catch on TV. Such a waste.


'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad

Applaud for the Changeling

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

I caught the screening of the Changeling this morning. It was very, very good. A real intense movie that I really enjoyed. Angelina Jolie's performance is nothing short of amazing. The story was deeply moving and the emotions very real. I would highly recommend that all of you catch it once it's out.

Yes, it almost made me shed a few tears - almost.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng sense of reasoning - also FAIL

If you haven't done so, please read this.

While I think that the WiFi is after all harmless, I feel that Lim Guan Eng's sense of reasoning leaves much to be desired.

He said, and I quote:

“If WiFi is harmful, the first two people to get fried by radiation would be Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi and myself as we work up to 12 hours a day at our offices on Komtar’s 28th floor where there are four hotspots.

“We are exposed to WiFi 24 hours a day as we have wireless facilities at home and although I might look old, do I look un­­healthy?”

If he wants to take the risk, it doesn't mean others, who feel otherwise should as well. It's like saying, "I have been smoking for twenty years but you don't see me getting cancer."

Simply because you do not have evidence does not mean something will not happen. Who knows what the long term effects could be. Furthermore, looking healthy doesn't mean you are healthy. Biggest, baddest mistake that you'll only realise when you're diagnosed with advance stage cancer.

And when you thought only the BN people could say dumb things.

And you know, if someone from the BN said something like that, all sorts of comments would have appeared everywhere condemning them for being the idiots that are ruining the country.

And then when you have someone from PKR saying it, people seem nonchalant.

And that makes me feel like the people are just biased against the government.

And that the PKR and the goverment are just two sides of the same coin.

And it makes me wanna scream when I hear the word 'change' anymore.

My ballsy year

I was gonna post up a long entry on the the Lunar New Year being my year and all - well strike that. I'm not gonna be celebrating the New Year this year. Why? I think the reason is obvious. Anyway, I did read somewhere last week that the Ox year is not gonna be easy for all the Oxen out there. Looks like this is an omen of sorts for me. Looks like I gotta be ballsy this year.

Nevertheless, it's still my year. So here's an early Lunar New Year greeting from me (I'm planning to vegetate my one week hols away doing nothing since I won't be celebrating, and that includes taking a one week break from here as well).

So Happy Lunar New Year to all of you.

Moooooooooooooo!

Too cow-like? My friend said the bull above had big balls.

What does a big-balled bull sound like then? All I know from reading Enid Blyton's Cherry Tree Farm and Willow Farm is that bulls bellow.

Bellowwwwwwww?

Pull and Bear - FAIL

Have you seen this T-shirt being sold in the Pull and Bear outlets? Looks nice right? Then read the words below the 2009 motif.

Still don't see it?

Across is misspelled.

Not mentioning that after reading it a couple of times, the sentence does seem a little odd language-wise.

Reached across the strength and the work? It doesn't sound nice.

FAIL


PS: The salesperson wouldn't let me take pictures. Luckily I managed to snap a few shots before she actually realized what I was doing.

Dealing with Owen Yap

I've seen him on the news and the local game show and somehow I've always thought he was a little on the serious side. Boy, was I wrong. Talking to him today I discovered he's a zany guy. It was fun and he's just a really nice guy. Definitely a good model for picture taking as well. :)

Cashy Stay

It looks nice right? It's the Sunway Hotel and Spa Villas. Kinda like a retreat in a retreat with individual villas for guests. I was there for a photoshoot and I found the place very beautiful - not to mention very quiet and private. Even has private pools for each villa.

The price? What I've heard is that they charge a whopping price of over Rm2k for a night. Not worth it, I would say.

Lost Elephant

Ok, this is gonna be brief. Been busy for the past few days and not gonna be in for a few days thereafter today.

I attended the dance performance, Elephant In The Room last Saturday and somehow, I was lost. Maybe it was the fact that the narration was in Chinese, or maybe because I'm not much of a contemporary dance person. My dance interpretation sucks and I very well didn't get the performance.

But...

I did get a free ticket. So I'm gonna say I kinda enjoyed it after all.

:)

PS: Recently, I watched Juno at the cinema under the GSC International Screens purview and I'm wondering why the heck are they screening it now. It's been a year since the film was released in the US. I had to download it back then and it is only now they decided to screen it?